Malaysia and Thailand will discuss several key bilateral issues ranging from cooperation in combating global terrorism to the southern Thai peace talks during their annual consultation meeting on Friday.
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Both leaders will also discuss the proposal to integrate the special economic zones in Sadao and Narathiwat in southern Thailand with Perlis’s Chuping Valley, as well as expanding Malaysia’s dual-track rail from Padang Besar to Hatyai.
Both leaders strongly condemned the violence carried out by ill-intentioned groups against innocent civilians.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak told reporters that security remained “a very important matter” for both countries and there was an agreement to step up intelligence gathering and sharing to rein in cross-border terrorism.
Gen Prayut said: “We both face security issues including the fight against terrorism, human trafficking and illegal smuggling. It is a productive meeting and we need to keep the momentum going”, Mr Najib said in his remarks at the joint press conference after holding the consultation at Government House in Bangkok.
Najib also said Malaysia would maintain Thailand as one of its major sources of rice imports, with 40 percent of a million metric tonnes of rice imports coming from Thailand.
He said, it was better and accurate to compare names of those alleged dual citizens based on biometric records, rather than just comparing names which could be inaccurate.
While Mr Najib put more weight on issues related to human trafficking on land as well as by sea smuggling between the two nations saying, both Malaysia and Thailand are subjected to the worldwide review.
People-trafficking and the smuggling of drugs and weapons are among the transnational crimes that have flourished along the 640-km (398-mile) Thai-Malay border, until a crackdown by Thailand past year disrupted regional trafficking routes.
On the efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism, Najib said the leaders of both countries must work together closely to apprehend the perpetrators.
“The matter is under consideration but we need to determine the physical dimensions of the wall or fence as well as the sharing of the costs”, he said.
Visiting Prime Minister Najib Razak said Malaysia understood that the situation in the South is Thailand’s internal affair, but Malaysia would help build trust among all stakeholders.
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Meanwhile, Mr Najib said, Malaysia will continue to help in terms of vocation training for young people in the South.
